Every Step of the Way
by Packersfan12
Summary: It's a normal day around the department, until Jay Halstead finds himself fighting to stop a woman from jumping to her death. While doing so, he finds that she is in deep with the wrong people and vows to help keep her safe and return to a normal life. What he doesn't know, is that when she meant in deep, she meant IN DEEP. Halstead/O.C. (But still I ship LINSTEAD so hard!)


It was supposed to be just a normal day, maybe a few drug busts with kicking in doors being involved, but nothing major. Most of the time Jay sat at his desk counting the dots on the ceiling, or engaged in an epic chair-spinning battle with Antonio, but there were occasional days where things heated up, and those occasional days were becoming more frequent.

It was when Jay and Erin were out getting a bite to eat, that someone screamed and pointed up. Jay followed their raised arm and saw someone standing on the tenth story of a twenty story hotel. He dropped his coffee and jogged across the street, dodging oncoming cars, and rushed into the building. Outside a crowd of people were gathered on the street, and Erin was quickly phoning the department.

"What's going on out there?" The woman at the front desk asked, standing when he entered.

Jay ignored her question and started pounding up the stairs, taking them three at a time. On the tenth floor, he burst into the hallway, startling a couple unlocking their door. "Hey," Jay called to them, "I need you to exit the building."

"Says who?" The woman asked, throwing her blonde curls over her shoulder and gave him a defiant look.

"The Chicago Police Department, I'll gladly give you a ride down there after I'm done if you want." Jay said, flashing his badge at them.

The woman rolled her eyes and stood in her place, but her boyfriend drug her toward the elevator, trying to talk her into leaving.

Erin pushed her way into the hallway just as Jay tried the door to the hotel room where the person had been standing on the ledge. "Backup's on the way."

"Door's locked." Jay said, and then knocked, "Hey anyone there?"

"Go away!" A faint voice said.

"Hey, just let us into the room." Erin called.

"I know what you're trying to do," the voice said, "I'm not getting the door. I'm going to jump."

"I'm going to have to break this door down then," Jay said, "and trust me when I say I won't be the one paying for the damage."

"Yeah, well, me either, I won't be around long enough."

Jay made eye contact with Erin, and she nodded. He squared up with the door, and sent his foot thundering into it. It opened with a sharp crack, and swung back to hit the wall. He and Erin entered cautiously, anticipating any sort of retaliation from the person on the ledge.

"You called the cops?" The voice asked, and Jay could finally distinguish it as a female's.

"Honey, we are the cops." Erin said.

"Now I'm going to stick my head out the window, don't try anything." Jay said, first sticking his hands out the window, and then leaned out to see her, "Hi."

"Hi." The girl said.

Below them, the police started blocking off the street. A few officers broke through the crowd of people and rushed into the building.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Auditioning for a spy movie." He said, hoping to make the situation lighter. The woman was no older than himself, her small frame pinned against the wall. Her long, dark hair rustled in the breeze, and her soft face was frozen in fear, "But I can tell you, this isn't the best way to do it." He stuck his hand out and said, "My name is Jay Halstead, what's yours?"

She eyed his hand until he dropped it, and said, "Don't even try to talk me down, I'm not coming."

"Oh I'm not." He said, making her look at him in confusion, "I'm just keeping you company."

"Well I don't want your company." She snapped, "Go away."

"Well you don't want to die alone, do you?" He asked.

She swallowed, "I'm perfectly fine with that."

"Well either way, I'm not leaving." Jay said, "If you want me to, you'll have to make me. Why do you want to jump anyway, there's easier ways to do it you know."

"Oh so you're giving me advice on how to kill myself?"

He shrugged, "All I'm saying is that there's less dramatic ways to go. You could take a bunch of pills, that would be less messy."

"Well thanks for the input, but I made up my mind."

"You still didn't answer my question."

"What question?" She asked.

"What's your name?"

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Cassia."

"Cassia? That's a cool name." Jay said, "Listen, Cassia, can you tell me something?"

"What?" She asked, watching all the people below them gathering into a crowd.

"Why are you here? What's a pretty girl like you doing on a ledge about to jump? You've got your whole life ahead of you." Jay said.

"You wouldn't understand." Cassia sighed, shaking her head, "No one understands."

"Try me."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I don't want to see you end your life knowing there's so much more out there for you. You may not see it now, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. There's people out there who care for you, why would you want to leave them?" Jay asked.

Cassia shook her head, "No, there's no one left. They're all gone."

"Your family?"

She nodded.

Behind him, a group of police officers entered the room, and Erin rushed to update them on the situation. He took a deep breath and leaned back out of the window, "What about friends, everyone has friends."

"I thought I did." She said, "But they set me up."

He frowned, "What do you mean set you up?"

Cassia shook her head, "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does matter, Cassia," he said, having learned that the more you say a person's name, the more they calm down, "if you're in trouble, I can help you."

"Nobody can help me."

"It might look like that now, but trust me, I can and I will help you." He held out his hand, "Just give me a chance."

"Detective." One of the officers called, and he peeked over his arm to see the officer motioning for him to come into the room.

"Come on Cassia." He said gently, keeping his hand raised.

She stared at it, and for a moment he thought she was going to come back with him, but she took one step away from him and said, "You can't help me."

"I'm going inside real quick, okay? I'll be right back." Jay said, and quickly ducked his head inside the room to approach the officer.

"Ray Brown," he said, shaking Jay's hand, "you did a good job distracting her, thank you for that. My team will take it from here."

"Sir, please." Jay said, "I know I'm no negotiator, but I think I'm getting somewhere with her. Let me keep talking to her."

"With all due respect, detective, my men are trained for this sort of situation." Ray said, hooking his thumbs in his belt.

"I know, I know they are." Jay said, "All I'm asking is for a couple more minutes with her."

"Sir," Erin spoke up, "I'm also not specialized in this sort of thing, but one thing I learned is that the person who begins the negotiation should be the one to finish. I think Detective Halstead has made a connection with her." She paused and winked, "And if there's one person I know that could make someone come inside just to get him to stop talking, it's him."

Ray stroked his mustache and sighed, "Fine, I'll give you a couple more minutes with her. I want you to wear this microphone so we're able to hear what she says." he said, holding up a wire. After being fit with the wire, he said, "Thank you, sir." and popped his head back out the window, "Hello again."

Cassia threw him an aggravated glance and said, "Hello."

"Listen, they're threatening to send someone else back out here to talk to you." Jay said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder, "If you don't come back inside with me, there's going to be a much less appealing person out here. Probably a guy with a mustache."

"I don't like mustaches." She breathed.

"See, that's why you should come back in with me." After a moment of silence, he said, "Back to our last conversation, what kind of trouble are you in?"

"I owe money to some people." She said quietly.

"Bad people?"

"I wouldn't be here if they were nice."

Jay shot Erin, who was standing just behind him, a glance. She frowned and put a hand to her mouth, starting to pace. He turned his gaze back on Cassia, "Listen, we can help you with that."

She shook her head, "No you don't understand, they'll kill me."

"Oh trust me, I understand." He said, "I'm a detective, I deal with this sort of thing all the time. Who's threatening you?"

"I can't tell you."

"You do know who my boss is, right?" He asked, "Voight? He'll kick ass before he lets anyone hurt you, and I'll be right behind him."

"I'm scared." She whispered, "I don't want to die."

"Then what are you doing up here?" He asked softly.

"I didn't know what to do." She said, wiping tears as they spilled from her eyes.

"Cassia, I will personally make sure that nothing happens to you." Jay said, holding her gaze, "Okay? I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Why do you care?"

"Because the people you owe money to, are the people that made me realize why I wanted to be a cop. They think they can get away with things and not suffer consequences. I'm trying to put them behind bars but I can't without hard evidence. You're my evidence, Cassia. With your help I can make sure these guys won't hurt you, or anyone else for that matter." Jay said. Behind him, Voight finally arrived and said, "Let me talk to her."

Jay started ducking inside, but Cassia called out to him. He looked back out to her, and she swallowed, "I'll be safe?"

Voight backed off, and stood next to Erin to listen to the conversation.

He nodded, "We can get you into Witness Protection, they're really great to work with."

She shook her head, "No, no witness protection program will be able to keep me. They have eyes on me everywhere."

"We'll figure something out, I promise. I will personally be with you every step of the way, you don't have to be alone." He said, and for the third time, held out his hand, "Just take my hand."

"Do it!" Someone from the crowd shouted, "Take his hand!" A murmur swept over the crowd as they agreed with the speaker.

"Cassia, I promise I will protect you." Jay said.

"Cassia," Voight shouted from inside the room, "this is Sergeant Hank Voight, head of the Intelligence Unit. The man you're talking to now is one of the best detectives I've ever had to work with. If there's anyone who can bring those men in, it's him."

"Listen to them, Cassia." Erin called, "I'm Jay's partner, Erin, I can help you too. There are people that are willing to fight for you. You're not alone."

"Take my hand Cassia." Jay said gently.

She took a small step toward him, and then another, when suddenly a shot rang out. The crowd screamed and simultaneously ducked their heads, and above them a bullet sliced into the building just in front of Cassia's face. She screamed and shrank down, one of her feet slipping off of the ledge. She lost her balance and tumbled off of the building. Jay lunged forward out the window, Voight and Erin grabbing him around the waist. He caught hold of the sleeve of her jacket, and held on for dear life. Both of her arms slipped out of the jacket, but she somehow managed to cling to one of the sleeves.

Below them, five police officers were holding down a man, undoubtedly the shooter. The crowd hadn't fled like most did, but were watching with wide eyes and covered mouths as Jay tried to grab for Cassia's hand. There was a tearing noise, and Cassia shouted, "It's ripping, Jay!"

"Hold on." Jay said coolly, trying to keep the fear out of his voice, "Can you reach my hand?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to let go."

"Just reach up." Jay said, "I won't let you fall."

With a shaking hand, she reached toward him, and with a stretch he managed to grab hold of her hand just as the sleeve of her jacket ripped and fell toward the crowd, who cried out in fear. "I've got you." Jay said, catching her other hand.

"Don't let go." Cassia whispered.

Erin and Voight dug their feet into the floor and pulled Jay back into the room. Once inside, he hooked his right arm around Cassia's waist and pulled her into the room along with him. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she sat up, and Jay wrapped his arms around her. Someone handed him a blanket, and her put it around her shoulders.

Outside, the crowd was cheering, and Erin breathed a sigh of relief.

Jay rubbed Cassia's shoulders, "It's going to be okay now, you're safe." He met Voight's eyes and the sergeant nodded. "It's going to be okay." He whispered again.

_** And so begins my next story! Disclaimer: I don't own Chicago Fire, or Chicago P.D., nor any of the characters except for those you don't know, because if I owned Halstead, lordy I'd be one happy gal! **_

_** I totes love Jay and Erin, like I totally ship their characters 100%, but I got this idea in my head when I was in my Evidence Collection and Preservation class, and I really wanted to explore it. So tell me what you all think! **_


End file.
